In a perfect world you would be putting out video content for your business every day but hey, who has time to be perfect?
If you are only putting out a video once a week or less then it’s easy to get lost in the algorithm shuffle. So how do create content that breaks through the noise and gets people to pay attention? Here are 5 tips to get you started.
Use B-roll
Having you talking to the camera is obviously a key component of your video, but unless you change up the visuals then your viewer is going to get bored and tune out. It’s time to engage their brain by using a bit of b-roll. I can hear you shouting at your screen “But what is broll?”. Well, in the biz, your main interview is referred to as A-Roll and any cut-away shots used to add context to what you are saying is called B-Roll.
So, to keep your viewer visually engaged, why not show footage of the thing you are actually talking about? If you don’t want to shoot this yourself you can pay for stock footage or if you have zero budget there are free stock sites like Pexels and Pixabay, but obviously, it’s better if you create it yourself which brings us on nicely to our next tip.
B-roll helps break up your video.
2. Move Your Feet
If something looks interesting then it forces people to pay attention. But the problem is that most people see something they want to film, take their phone out of their pocket and start filming at head height. Can you see the problem here? This is the same viewpoint that pretty much everyone has.
So next time you are getting ready to film something, move your feet. What does it look like if you get in closer, move further away, take a side on profile, or try a low or high angle? Have fun and play around to see what looks good to you. Now you’ve shot a bunch of cool footage but how do you add it to your video? Introducing Tip number 3.
Experiment with different angles to see what you prefer.
3. EDit Your Video
Editing your video takes it to the next level. You may think that you are going to spend hours learning a whole new software to edit your videos, but nowadays it’s much easier than you think. With software like CapCut, you can pretty much drag and drop your clips and do things like cut out dead air, remove mistakes, add your broll, add graphics and tip number 4.
CapCut is an easy and free editing program.
4. Add Music
Imagine watching a movie that had no music, it would lack atmosphere, right? Well, it’s the same with your videos.
Honestly, choosing the right music for video can sometimes take more time than actually editing them but nothing beats the feeling of finding the perfect track. Music not only helps emphasise the emotion you are trying to portray but also shows off your brand.
If you are a young tech firm then you might want to use something with an electronic vibe, or maybe you are a homeless charity trying to focus on individual stories, you would pick something a bit more sombre. I don’t have a good segue for this one so on to the last tip.
5. Change Location
Filming your videos in your office definitely has its place but it can easily come across as cold and impersonal.
Instead, why not take the opportunity to invite your viewers to other sides of your business or ideally into your personal life? You could film a video while travelling to or on location with a client, in your break room, or at a company BBQ. Or what about during things you enjoy, like taking the dog for a walk or going for a run? Things like this just help build that personal connection with your viewer.
Get out of your office to film your videos in a more interesting setting.
Bonus Tip
I have to be honest with you, I lied, I have 6 tips but I like the number 5 so think of this as a bonus tip.
When filming a video it’s easy to fall into the trap or talking to a huge group of people, as hopefully there will be multiple watchers of your masterpiece, but that doesn’t help with building a personal connection.
Instead, imagine you are talking to just one person. For example, right now I’m just talking to you, the person reading this blog post. You’re not a number to me, you are someone I am having a very one-sided conversation. By doing that you are starting to build a relationship and rather than just being content it’s something that the viewer will actually connect with.
Well there you have it, 5 (6) tips to create better video content yourself. Which one of these are you going to try first? Let me know in the comments and if you need help creating content for your business, I have just launched my subscription plans which you can find on the bar above. See you next time.